Now here is something we just had to ask Dermott Brereton to have a look at: the world's longest golf course. It's an 18-hole par-72 golf course, spanning 1365km along the Eyre Highway, from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia.
There's one hole in each participating town or roadhouse along the way, each including a green and tee and a rugged outback-style natural terrain fairway. It gives a quintessential Australian experience for travellers as they head across the Nullarbor.
The Nullarbor Links golf course was developed to enhance tourism along the highway, providing travellers with a most unusual added attraction.
Spread over two states and two time zones, it is the world's longest course, based on the distance covered from one hole to the next. A round will take roughly four days. People from 27 countries have already signed up as members, and in just one month, the website had 1.76 million hits!
Each hole is very different and showcases a local attraction, which could be anything from whale watching to ancient fossil beds, a working sheep station and the Big Kangaroo statue at Border Village, straddling both states. You might face strong winds, water hazards and rough terrain. Camels, kangaroos and wombats keep players company and you'll need to watch out for crows which make a habit of stealing balls.
A certificate is issued to all players and a score card stamped at every hole.
Of the 18 holes, seven are in existing golf courses, and 11 have been purpose-built near each of the roadhouses along the Eyre Highway. For these, synthetic turf was laid at each tee and hole. However, the fairway remains the natural terrain. One is even on a working sheep station.
Fraser Range Station is a pastoral homestead dating to 1873. It's halfway between Norseman and Balladonia in Western Australia. You can stay the night in restored stone shearers' quarters or pull in with your caravan.
The outback oasis is covered by dense hardwood blackbutt trees, salmon gums and gimlet eucalypts. The world's largest hardwood forest surrounds Fraser Range. Mt Pleasant rises to 579m — it's a spectacular monolith and the tallest in the range of granite hills.
Visitors can pick up groceries and meat along the way to cook at Fraser Range Station.
